Ajna: Suddenly I See

Here we are, lovelies. The 6th chakra.

This chakra hasn’t fully clicked for me yet, and that’s ok. The higher up in the chakras the harder it is to grasp some of the concepts that go along with it. I’m also feeling a little under the weather today (allergies, I’m hoping, and not something worse), so I’m gong to do my best at laying this chakra out for you.

Ajna, also known as the third eye or brow chakra, is located at the center of the head/slightly above the eyes. This chakra’s color is indigo and has two lotus petals, which is unusual since the petals have been getting bigger up until this point. Ajna is strongly associated with color and images, with the mantra typically associated at this level being “I see”. The third eye chakra is seen as the “seat of the soul” and connects memory and imagination to the future. We begin to use our intuition to develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us at this level in our chakra system. Ajna translates to “perceive” in sanskrit (Judith, 2002).

Again, I’ll be frank here and admit that connecting this chakra to counseling was a struggle, until I read about using sight and instinct to create a vision for ourselves. One of the theories I like to follow when working with clients is solution focused counseling. Solution focused is a brief, future focused counseling theory that builds on strengths and goals. Generally, counselors who follow this model find out what is already working for the client, create smaller goals from that, and then build to the future the client wants. A huge part of this model is the miracle question (GoodTherapy, 2015). I use this all the time. ALL the time. With my younger clients and with my adult clients. It helps me get a greater grasp of what it is they want for themselves. The miracle questions would look something like this:

“Close your eyes for me for a second. Take a deep breath. Now imagine that you left my office today and went home and went to sleep. While you’re sleeping, this miracle happens. We don’t know how this miracle happens or what causes it, we just know it takes place. This miracle causes all your problems and worries to go away completely. Poof, their gone! So, this happened while you were asleep. Imagine that. Now, you wake up after this miracle has happened. What’s the first thing you notice?” The counselor will typically then prompt the client to walk through their day after this miracle occurred. Where did you wake up? What did you smell? What are you wearing? Who is there with you? How do you feel? Have them be specific and imagine how their typical day would go with this miracle. This allows them to visualize what their ideal world would feel and look like. Why do we do this? Why go to such specifics? Because when we can imagine it, then we can start to work towards it. It is only then that we can create realistic steps to make this future happen (GoodTherapy, 2015).

Some other techniques to try with clients to help balance ajna:
-color and feelings association (I like to do this with pipe cleaners while building something cool with the client. I’ve also seen some mandala/art techniques for this.)
-meditation (guided, visual, and color association)
-dream recall/keeping a dream journal (I would go a step further here: discuss dreams your clients are having with them – I promise I’m not going all Freudian on you. What was particularly scary or exciting or happy? How is that like their real life? etc etc).
-yogic squat
-mountain pose
-child’s pose
-savasana
(Geroux, 2014; Judith, 2002).

I hope this wasn’t too spacey or cough drop induced and actually made sense. If you have thoughts or can think of something else that I obviously didn’t catch, let me know! I would love to hear from you.